Refrigeration



" Feb. 14, 1939. P. STRANbBERG REFRIGERATION Filed March 12, 1936 for example, for an automobile.

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATION Paul Strandberg, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Serve], Inc., New York, N. Y.', a corporation of Delaware Application March 12, 1936, Serial No. 68,385 In Germany March 12, 1935 9 Claims.

My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for producing refrigeration in connection with an internal combustion engine for vehicles such as automobiles, motor boats 01' the'like, and also for motor railways, or in connection with stationary engines.

It is an object of my invention to improve operation of an internal combustion engine and at the same time produce a greater amount of refrigeration in a system utilizing expansion of fluid fuel to produce cold and then introducing the fuel into the engine. I accomplish this by providing a lower pressure area for expansion of the fuel and then increasing the pressure before introduction into an engine.

My invention, together with other objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and. of which:

Fig. 1 shows more or less diagrammatically a refrigeration system combined with an internal combustion engine in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 2 illustrates more or less diagrammatically a modification of the invention.

In Fig. 1, reference character l designates a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine, H is a supply pipe or duct for the air-gas mixture which is supplied through a suction inlet to a usual inlet manifold l2 and thence to the cylinders. A carburetor I3 is supplied with fresh air through a conduit I5 and tubes l4 arranged in heat exchange relation with the duct Between the carburetor I3 and'the duct is arranged a wellinsulated vaporization chamber or conduit member l6 which forms a part of the conduit leading to the intake manifold and which serves for the production of cold. Within this chamber is located a pipe coil [1 which is connected by conduits 28 and 29 to a second pipe coil 40 which is surrounded by a cooling body 4| located within a refrigerator cabinet H3. The pipe coils and the connecting conduits contain a fluid which absorbs heat from the refrigerating cabinet l8 and transfers this heat to the chamber l6 where the heat produces evaporation of the fuel for the engine. The auxiliary fluid may evaporate in the coil 40 and condense in the coil Between the duct II and the intake manifold I2, I provide a compressor 5|. The compressor 5| may be driven, for instance, by the engine. The compressor 5| withdraws air-gas mixture from the duct II and compresses this mixture prior to entrance into the engine.

Operation is as follows:

When the engine is started, atmospheric air enters the pipes M which are open at one end, and flows through the conduit I5 and thence to the carburetor I3 in which the fuel, for example, liquid benzene or gasoline, is atomized and passes in a finely divided condition together with the air into the vaporization chamber IS in which 10 the small liquid particles are evaporated. Within chamber l6 there is a pressure below atmospheric, due to the suction of the compressor 5|. Due to this evaporation, heat is taken from the surroundings, and this heat can only be withdrawn from the coil since the vaporization chamber I6 is well insulated. The air saturated with fuel vapor flows from the vaporization chamber I6 through the duct II and thence into the compressor 5| from which it is discharged at increased pressure into the intake manifold l2 for delivery to the cylinders of the internal combustion engine. The air-gas mixture flowing in duct cools the incoming fresh air in the conduits Hi. The duct H and the conduits l4 comprise a heat exchanger.

The cold produced in the vaporization chamber I6 is transferred by the fluid in the coil l'l to the part tobe cooled, such as the refrigerator cabinet IS, in a known manner as previously .described.

The compressor 5| does two things. It decreases the pressure in the vaporization chamber l6 below that obtainable only by suction of the engine whereby lower refrigeration temperatures are obtained. The compressor also increases the pressure at which the air-gas mixture enters the internal combustion engine, whereby the efficiency of the engine is increased.

In Fig. 2 there is illustrated a modification of the invention in which the vaporization or cooling chamber 5 is located directly in a compartment 59 to be cooled, and is provided with heat transfer fins 58. In' this modification liquid fuel flowing to the carburetor I3 is pro-cooled by flowing the liquid in contact with air which has been cooled in the heat exchanger tubes l4. Corresponding parts in Figs. 1 and 2 are indicated by the same reference numerals. Liquid fuel .flows from a fuel tank, not shown, through conduit 52 to the carburetor l3. Conduit 52 is provided with an enlarged chamber 53. Conduits 56 and 51 are connected from a header 55 for the tubes l4 and the duct II respectively to the upper part of the chamber 53 adjacent opposite ends thereof.

The operation of the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2 is the same as described in connection with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 except that heat is transferred directly from the refrigerator 59 to the vaporization or cooling chamber l6, and liquid fuel flowing to the carburetor I3 is pro-cooled in the chamber 53 by cool air which enters chamber 53 through conduit 56 and enters the duct ll through conduit 51. Precooling of the liquid in chamber 53 results in increased cooling in the vaporization chamber I6.

It will be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as indicated in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of refrigeration with the aid of an internal combustion engine which consists in producing a region of pressure lower than that obtainable by the suction action of said engine, introducing liquid fuel and air into said region, vaporizing said fuel to form a combustible mixture, supplying heat for vaporizing said fuel from a bodyto be cooled, cooling air before introduction into said region by heat transfer to said mixture,'.cooling liquid fuel before introduction into said region by heat transfer to a portion of the pre-cooled air, mixing said portion of air with said combustibe'mixture, increasing the pressure of the combus ible mixture, and introducing the mixture at the increased pressure into said engine.

2. A method of refrigeration with the aid of an internal combustion engine which consists in producing a region of low pressure, introducing liquid fuel and air into said region, vaporizing said fuel to form a combustible mixture, supplying heat for vaporizing said fuel from a body to be cooled, cooling air before introduction into said region by heat transfer to said mixture, cooling liquid fuel before introduction into said region by heat transfer to a portion of the pre-cooled air,

mixing saidportion of air with said combustible mixture, and introducing engine. s

3. A method of refrigeration with the aid of an internal combustion engine which consists in introducing liquid fuel and air into a region of cooling, vaporizing said fuel to form a combustible mixture, supplying heat for vaporizing said fuel from a body to be cooled, cooling air before introduction into said region by heat transfer to said mixture, cooling liquid fuel before introduction into said region by heat transfer to a portion of the pro-cooled air, mixing said portion of air with said combustible mixture, and introducing the mixture into said engine.

4. A method of refrigeration with the aid of an internal combustion engine which consists in introducing liquid fuel and air into region of cooling, vaporizing said fuel to form a combustible mixture, supplying heat for vaporizing said fuel from a body to be cooled, cooling air before the mixture into said introduction into said region by heat transfer to said mixture, cooling liquid fuel before introduction into said region by heat transfer to said combustible mixture, and introducing the mixture into said engine.

5. A method of refrigeration with the aid of an internal combustion engine operating on liquid fuel and air supplied thereto which comprises vaporizing said liquid fuel, supplying heat for said vaporization from a body to be cooled external to the path of flow of fluids supplied to the engine, forming a combustible mixture of the vaporized fuel and air, cooling said liquid fuel prior to said vaporization by heat transfer to said oombustible mixture, and introducing the combustible mixture into said engine.

6. Refrigeration apparatus including an internal combustion engine, a cooling member, means for conducting air to said cooling member including a heat exchanger, means for conducting liquid fuel to said cooling member including a carburetor, means for conducting combustible mixture from said cooling member to said engine including said heat exchanger and a compressor whereby the mixture cools the air and the pressure of the combustible mixture is increased before reaching the engine, and means for conducting a portion of the air after passage through ture cools the air, and means for conducting 'a portion of the air after passage through said heat exchanger into contact with liquid fuel flowing to said carburetor and thence into the presence of combustible mixture.

8. Refrigeration apparatus including an internal combustion engine, a cooling member, means for conducting air to said cooling member including a heat exchanger, means for conducting liquid fuel to said cooling member including a carburetor, means for conducting combustible mixture from said cooling member to said engine including said heat exchanger whereby the mixture cools the air, and means for transferring heat to said combustible mixture from liquid fuel flowing to said carburetor.

9. In combination, an internal combustion engine, refrigeration apparatus including a cooling element, means for supplying air and volatile liquid fuel to said element while reducing the pressure thereof, means for supplying combustible mixture of air and vaporous fuel tosaid engine, and means for transferring heat to said mixture from said liquid fuel before introduction thereof into said cooling element.

PAUL STRANDBERG. 

